Improvement in grain-cradles



D. D. DEVOE.

Grain Cradle.

Patented April 5, 1864.

N. Prisms Pmwumc mbhm Wauhinglum TINTTED STATES PATENT @rrrca.

D. D. DEVOE, OF ILION, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN GRAIN-CRADLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 42,173, dated April 5, 1804.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, D. D. DEVOE, of Ilion, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Cradles; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon.

Similar letters indicate the same devices in all the figures.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its nature, construction, and operation.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of the coupling-bands D and their set-screws E with the connecting-rod O, which passes through an orifice in the coupling-band.

and is held in its true positions by means or the set-screws E.

Figure 1 represents an inside view of the fingers, showing the bands D and set-screws E, with the connecting-rod G passing through sockets in the bands and held by set-screws E. Fig. 2 shows the band D as attached to the fingers B and the socket a, through which the connecting-rod 0 passes. Figs. 3 and at represent the sockets D, showing eyes F, into which the brace-rods I are rigidly hooked.

, Figs. 5 and 6 represent a section of the snath,

into which is firmly screwed the screw-sockets K for the reception of the brace-rods I. Fig. '7 is a top view, showing the improvements.

A is the finger-standard; B, fingers; 0, connectingrod; D, coupling bands; E, setscrews; F, eyes for reception of brace-rods; Gr, snath; H, screw passing into snath; I, bracerod; J, set-screw by which the brace-rods are held in position; K, socket-screw, with socket [1, into which the brace-rod passes; L, point at which the snath is attached to the fingerstandard.

The finger-standard A is attached to the heel of the snath G by boring a hole in the snath and firmly securing the finger-standard atL in it. The coupling-bands D are then driven on the fingers, and the fingers secured to the finger-standard. The connecting-rod is then passed through the sockets a, and the setsscrews E screwed firmly on the connecting- .readily with pins.

rod to hold them in their true position. The screw-sockets K are then screwed in their proper places in the snath, and the brace-rods hooked into the eyes F in the bands, and then passed through the socket. b in the screwsocket K and firmly held in .position by the set-screw J.

In constructing grain-cradles it is necessary to have all the parts as strong as possible with the least quantity of material. Passing the connecting-rod through the fingers weakens the fingers to such an extent as to make them very liable to break. Metallic wire cannot be used to advantage to pass through the fingers from the fact that they cannot be secured Consequently in using wooden connecting-rods they must be much larger in order to hold the finger from twisting, and the size of the finger must be proportionatelyincreased to get the required strength. Connecting-rods, made of several pieces of wire and fastened to bands by means of eyes and coupled midway between the fingers, allow the fingers to twist when thrust into the grain. Now, by using my coupling the fingers can be made Very light, and by using but one wire to pass through all the couplings the points of the fingers can be adjusted to suit the operator and the fingers prevented from twisting when thrust into the grain. By means of my screwsocket on the snath the fingers can be readily set out or in at the will of the operator, and their durability and ease of adjustment render them very efficient.

I do not claim as my invention the connecting of the fingers by one or more rods; neither do I broadly claim the employment of a setscrew on the snath for the purpose of holding the brace-rods in position; but

What I do claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent ot' the United States, is-

The coupling-band D, with its set-screw E, in combination with the connecting-rod O, as and for the purpose herein described.

D. 1). DEVOEl. n s] Signed, sealed, and delivered in presence of W. W. THOMAS, M. D. MYERS. 

